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India, Singapore Strengthen Defence Ties at Ministerial Dialogue
On October 22, 2024, India’s Raksha Mantri, Shri Rajnath Singh, and Singapore’s Minister of Defence, Dr. Ng Eng Hen, co-chaired the sixth India-Singapore Defence Ministerial Dialogue in New Delhi. Both leaders acknowledged the enduring and strong bilateral defence relationship, which is grounded in a shared commitment to regional peace, stability, and security.
India-Singapore Ties Under Act East Policy
This meeting comes at a crucial time, as India celebrates a decade of its Act East policy, with Singapore playing a pivotal role in promoting economic and cultural ties, as well as strategic connectivity within the region. Both ministers expressed satisfaction with the growing defence cooperation between their nations, highlighting the increased engagements between their Armed Forces in recent years.
Expanding Defence Collaboration
The dialogue also looked ahead to 2025, a landmark year that marks 60 years of diplomatic relations between India and Singapore. Both sides agreed to enhance defence collaboration, focusing on co-development and co-production of defence equipment. They also committed to extending the bilateral agreement on Joint Military Training Army for the next five years.
Additionally, the two nations aim to strengthen industry cooperation in niche areas such as automation and Artificial Intelligence, while also expanding collaboration in emerging fields like cyber security.
Shri Rajnath Singh thanked Singapore for its support as country coordinator for India in the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus from 2021 to 2024, while Singapore’s Defence Minister recognised India’s key role in maintaining Asia’s peace and stability.
